Friday, April 2, 2010

Good Friday To Easter To Vegas - What A Strange Trip

Happy Good Friday to all! If you're a nonbeliever, it can still be good Friday (just take the capitalization off the "good"). "Happy Easter" is a little more difficult; in fact, it's impossible to make it nonreligious (sorry guys, something you accept living in the good ole' U.S.A. where Believers are still the majority). It can be a weekend of renewal and rededication for everyone though, atheist as well as Pentacostals and everyone else who don't fall into either of those categories.

Christians (of which I am the Born-Again type) celebrate the risen Saviour and reflect on our lives over the past year and work to renew and rededicate our lives to better lift up His name and be better disciples. Nonbelievers would do well to view this weekend as a "Second New Year," and make or revisit those resolutions made - in other words, "renew and rededicate" (see, we're not that different after all).

What I find fascinating, and honestly have never drilled down to discover another source beside the Bible, is that the Ten Commandments (most of them anyway) are essentially followed by everyone, regardless of their religious upbringing, affiliation or non-affiliation. Moreso, they are the minimum acceptable levels of courtesy, respect, and conduct in most nations of people.

Granted, you can say all people but that's not exactly true. When you get away from ALL Christian influence, you can find entire races of people who don't follow these tenets at all. And you're right in what you're thinking right now: "Yes, but those are isolated, uncivilized peoples in remote areas of the world." Exactly my point! You can disagree and dislike Christianity all you want (it's your right in this great country we live), but you cannot ignore the positive influence of God on our nation as a people. Sure, there are terrible things done for religion as well, but don't you find it ironic that those "terrible" things are always in direct conflict with the most basic of His teachings - the Ten Commandments.

I can even simplify it by quoting Jesus' answer to the Pharisees regarding the Ten Commandments. They attempted to trick him by asking which one of the Commandments was the most important. His response? "That we should love each other even as we love ourselves." Wait, that's not one of the Ten Commandments! True it is not, but that statement encapsulates and perfects the Commandments. AND, that statement is basically the "Golden Rule" by which we as a nation live and treat each other, no matter what religion or nonreligion you ascribe to be. Okay, I'm stepping down from my "pulpit." Didn't meant to go that deep into Easter.

Anyway, so why mention Vegas in this conversation? That, my friends, was a "teaser" to get you all the way to the bottom of this rant, and to let everyone know I will be out of town for the next week. I probably will not post a blog update until I return - I say this just in case anyone cares. :-)

Happy Easter (or Second New Year)

1 comment:

  1. Nice...I thought I was going to hear about your trip. Totally felt for that Vegas crap.

    ReplyDelete